In Each Other's Arms
by harumscarum
Summary: MerDer Oneshot Songfic, Set post LMR events, but on the same night. Derek goes after Meredith, who tries to flee from it all. NO LONGER A ONESHOT, STORY CONTINUES PAST PROM
1. Prologue: Halo

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, that honour goes to the wonderfully talented Shonda Rhimes. Nor do I claim any ownership to the song 'Halo,' sung by Bethany Joy Galeotti of One Tree Hill fame (Haley James Scott). In my dreams, however, McDreamy is all mine! PS, Jerry Maguire also isn't mine.**

**A/N: Just a little idea I had after hearing this song. Bear in mind that, as I am from Australia, the season 2 finale hasn't aired here yet, but this oneshot songfic is post LMR, based on stuff I've read. However, I've decided that Meredith wouldn't choose McVet or McDreamy in the love triangle (square including Addie) she faces in the hospital lobby. I think that she'd run from the decision, and have followed on from that. Enjoy, and please review, it keeps me sane!**

They stand together outside in the rain. He'd chased after her when she fled from the hospital lobby, not caring about his wife, her McVet, or anybody else who saw them. He'd never dreamed that she'd stop, to hear him out.

"Look, Mer, I know that this has been hard. Our relationship has been one ordeal after another. First I was your persistent boss who wouldn't give you up, no matter how much grief anybody gave you. Then Addie showed up. And, worst of all, I picked her over you. You nearly died, Mark showed up, we got a dog, you slept with George, Finn came on the scene, we lost our dog, and I practically called you a whore. But through all this, we've never really managed to give each other up…"

_**I never promised you a ray of light  
I never promised there'd be sunshine every day  
I'll give you everything I have  
The good, the bad  
**_

"…It's not working between me and Addie. Hell, I think me sleeping with you tonight kinda proves that point. All throughout the prom, I could only think of you. I was dancing with my wife, talking to her, trying to pretend that nothing was wrong, and you were the only thing on my mind. I was…I am so jealous of Finn, because he gets to hold you, and love you, and take care of you, while I'm stuck in a loveless marriage that I trapped myself in. God, I had a way out, and out of some misguided sense of loyalty to the institution of marriage and the legality of it all, I didn't take it. I was stupid. I was an ass…"

_**  
Why do you put me on a pedestal?  
I'm so up high that I can't see the ground below  
So help me down you've got it wrong  
I don't belong there  
**_

"…Meredith, I love you. And, as much as I hate sounding like Jerry Maguire, you complete me. I know that now. I know that I sound corny, ridiculous, and downright crazy, but you do that to me Mer. I can't think straight around you, I am always aware of you, and I'm distracted by you whether you're near me or not. Love does that to you Mer…"

_**  
One thing is clear  
I wear a halo  
I wear a halo when you look at me  
But standing from here  
You wouldn't say so   
You wouldn't say so if you were me  
And I, I just want to love you  
Oh I, I just want to love you  
**_

"…I don't think I've ever felt this way about anyone else in my entire life, not even Addie. God, I always thought that sayings like 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' were trite and clichéd. Clearly, I was wrong. Because the absence between us has only made me love you more. It's been the worst kind of separation, because I see you all the time yet I can't have you, and that kills me inside…"

_**  
I always said that I would make mistakes  
I'm only human and that's my saving grace  
I'll fall as hard as I try   
So don't be blinded  
**_

"…Mer, you see the real me. The Ferryboat-loving, trailer-living, fisherman kinda guy. I'm not the same guy that I was in Manhattan. I've changed. Forget the betrayal thing, forget the absent husband and the wife with the best-friend scenario, my move to Seattle, forging a life down a new road, that's what's changed me. God, I never used to be one for big speeches, but look a me now…"

_**See me as I really am  
I have flaws and sometimes I even sin   
So pull me from that pedestal  
I don't belong there  
**_

"…Mer, you make me ramble like an idiot, as I'm sure you've already seen tonight. You have this amazing effect on me that changes me from a renowned, sophisticated neurosurgeon to an incoherent moron. I know that you probably think I'm talking crazy, because I'm still married, but I can change that. I'll sign the papers immediately, I'll get a divorce. I just need you in my life as something more than my intern. From the very day me met, you have always been more to me than my mere intern. That's probably why we've found the past few months so hard. Aside from loving each other, we never really knew how to be just an intern and her boss' boss. And I don't want to learn how to now."

_**  
One thing is clear  
I wear a halo  
I wear a halo when you look at me  
But standing from here  
You wouldn't say so   
You wouldn't say so if you were me  
And I, I just want to love you  
Oh I, I just want to love you  
**_

She looked at him in shock. Finally, he was saying everything that she had always wanted him to say from the very beginning of this mess - the day that Addison showed up. But was it too late? Nothing could change the fact that he picked Addison, and that they're trying to make their marriage work. Does it? Nor could she escape the reality that she had moved on, with Finn. But had she? Had all of her moved on, or was her head just leaving her heart behind?

_**  
Like to think that you know me  
But in your eyes  
I am something above me  
That's only in your mind  
Only in your mind  
**_

"Mer, I'm gonna repeat what you once said to me, and I hope that you don't do what I did. Pick me. Choose me. Love me. I promise you, I'll never break your heart again."

_**  
I wear a, I wear a, I wear a Halo  
**_

She looked at him, struggling to keep her tears in check. The feelings of the past - devastation, humiliation, distress – they all came roaring back from the place deep down inside her where she tried to keep them suppressed. He'd hurt her, badly. Unfortunately for her, that hadn't changed her feelings for him, despite all that her friends said or did to achieve otherwise. She realised now, she still loved him. She hadn't moved on, no matter what her head tried to tell her heart. She loved everything about him, from his black curly hair, to his indigo scrubs, from his horrible taste in music, to the McDreamy look that he seemed to reserve for her. That same look that was currently gracing his gorgeous face. Could she risk it, would he crush her again?

_**  
One thing is clear  
I wear a halo  
I wear a halo when you look at me  
But standing from here  
You wouldn't say so   
You wouldn't say so if you were me  
And I, I just want to love you  
Oh I, I just want to love you  
**_

Leaning forward, she took a leap of faith, and kissed him. Neither one of them seemed to realise that they were soaked through from all the rain, nor that they might be seen. They just felt comfortable being back where they belonged – in each other's arms.

_**  
(I just wanna love you)  
Heya Hey Hey Hey…Hey Hey Halo   
Heya Hey Hey Hey…Hey Hey Halo  
Heya Hey Hey Hey…Hey Hey Halo  
Heya Hey Hey Hey…Hey Hey Halo**_

**A/N: So, I hoped that you liked it, and please review. If there is enough interest, I might even turn it into a full fic, who knows?**


	2. Chapter 1: The Way She Loved Me

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, that honour goes to the wonderfully talented Shonda Rhimes. Nor do I claim any ownership to the song 'The Way She Loved Me,' sung by Shannon Noll. In my dreams, however, McDreamy is all mine! **

**A/N: OK, so I decided to turn this oneshot into a full fic, so here goes: As I haven't seen any episodes with either one of them yet, Callie and Denny don't exist for the purposes of my story. George and Meredith never slept together, Alex and Izzie are back together, oh, and Burke never got shot too. The reason I've changed this so much is because I haven't seen the episodes with these events in them, and I wouldn't want to write something that doesn't fit in with what has happened, but still continue with what has happened, if that makes ANY sense at all to you wonderful readers. BTW, Italics are thoughts and bold italics are songs. So, R&R, and enjoy, of course! P.S. please excuse any bad medical speak – I'm a law student, not a med one!**

It had been two months since she had kissed Derek on prom night outside in the rain, and Meredith Grey was still on cloud nine. She often found it hard to believe that he was truly hers, divorced with no more secret wives, mistresses, or even children – she'd made sure of that before agreeing to take him back! Really, it hadn't been hard to get Addison to agree to a divorce, she was actually the one who had served Derek with papers the day after that fateful night. She had finally realised that she was with a man who truly didn't want her – something she once swore that she would never do.

Every day at the hospital had gone back to the way it used to be at the start of her internship, before Addison came to Seattle. The only difference now was that Addison had chosen to remain, having fallen in love with the city in spite of her initial homesickness for Manhattan. If it was possible, her and Meredith had even struck up a friendship, to the amusement of all who knew their story. But this didn't faze either one of the women, despite everything that had gone on between them, they each found the other impossible to hate.

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_Something's gonna happen, I can just feel it. Sorta like when I felt like I was gonna die, the day with the bomb, but nowhere near as morbid. I wonder if Derek's got a feeling too? I feel like something's building up, and any day now it's just going to climax. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait for it to pass._

"Mer, hurry up, we're gonna be late!" Izzie's voice rained down on Meredith's thoughts, shaking her from her reverie. "What are you doing, Bailey's gonna kill us if we're not on time! George and I will be in the car, you better be down here soon."

"Izz, I'll be there in a second, I just got distracted." Grabbing her bag and keys, Meredith ran to the car to join her housemates for another day at work. "Ok George, hit the gas. I'm in."

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"Hey Mer, where was McDreamy this morning? What was that, like, the first time you've come to work separately since the two of you got back together?" Izzie pried, always trying to get the gossip.

"We don't always come to work together," Meredith defended. "It's not like we work the same shifts all the time, and this just so happened to be one of those times. And anyway, you come to work with Alex more times than I do with Derek. What's going on with you two lately, you seem to be getting close. Again."

"I don't know, it seems different this time, like he really-"

"C'mon people, rounds now, gossip later!" Bailey cut Izzie off, calling out to her interns. "We haven't got all day you know!"

"Okay, Karev, you're with Dr. Mongomery, O'Malley, Dr. Burke needs an intern for a cardiopulmonary bypass, Stevens, you're on pit-duty, Yang, you're with Dr. Shepherd, and Grey, you'll be with me in Trauma." Starting off at a brisk walk, Bailey was irritated when she heard arguing behind her.

"How come O'Malley gets to do surgery, I haven't had surgery time in two days!"

"What, the vagina squad, again! Can't I go in the pit?"

"No way, I'm not working with Satan, not after that stunt she pulled with the baby!"

"Get over it Barbie, that was months ago! And Evil Spawn, this is what you get for pissing off the ex-She-Shepherd, you become captain of the vagina squad."

"Yeah, but three months of captain, that's just insane."

"Christina, you're just jealous coz you're missing out on surgery again-"

Standing off to the side, looking amused, were Meredith and George. Bailey, on the other hand, was looking anything but pleased.

"What the hell do you fools think this is?" she retorted. "You take the task given to you by me, your resident, and you smile sweetly while doing it! None of this fighting crap! It's not my job to please you fools, its your job to please me, especially if you want a happy resident and you know that you do. You'd think this would've sunk into your thick skulls by now. Now scram!"

Grumbling could still be heard as the interns went their separate ways, but as none of them was willing to face Bailey's wrath again, it was all kept to a murmur. Meredith followed Bailey to the doors of the Emergency area, as they heard the ambulance sirens rounded in on them. _Its gonna be another busy day here at the hospital. I wonder if I'll get to see Derek?_

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On the other side of the country, back in Manhattan, a lonely man sat on his recliner lounge in his apartment, calmly sipping his scotch. After an interesting phone call today, he had no idea what he was going to do. _That's a new one, me, scared and hesitating. What happened to the cocky bastard who lost his best friend and the love of his life in one fell swoop?_ It was all that he could do, sit there and think about the past and the woman of his dreams while he drank himself into oblivion for the third night that week.

**_Desperately waiting for her to arrive  
Longing for strength that I lack  
Tears fill my eyes when I realise she's gone  
I know that I can't bring her back  
She used to make it so easy to love her  
She used to make me shine  
So stay if you will and I'll show you  
The way she loved me for a time _**

Nothing killed him more than the night times. The sleepless, restless nights, when she haunted his dreams. Those few months when they were happy together flitting in and out of his thoughts. Their late night trysts, their days together at work, living for one another without a care in the world. Until she found out that her husband had found someone else. Until she left without even saying goodbye. He'd tried to bring her home, but she had refused, choosing to remain blind to the fact that her husband no longer loved her, choosing to remain in a loveless marriage. And the worst part was that he knew, just as much as she did, that she loved him as much as he loved her, and that she was only trying to work out her marriage in an effort to absolve herself of her sins. Their sins.

**_  
Empty, I lie on the bed that we made  
But now I can't get to sleep  
She had a way of wearing my clothes  
And made them look better than me  
She had a heart that could light up the ocean  
She told me she was mine  
So lend me an ear and I'll tell you  
The way she loved me for a time _**

_God I want to see her so much. I want to touch her, feel her, have her in my arms._ But while she stayed with her husband, he knew that he didn't have a chance. _It's not like she's going to show up here._

**_  
Oh, I long to hold her  
Oh, I want her here to see  
Oh, how I ache for her next to me  
Desperate I wait for the day that I see her  
Hold to her deep inside  
The most perfect love that I wanted to be her  
From the moment she caught my eye _**

But everything was about to change, starting tomorrow. Thanks to that phone call.

**_  
I light a candle for her every evening  
Pour me a glass of wine  
I will remember so clearly  
The way she loved me for a time  
Yes I will remember so dearly  
The way she loved me_**

**A/N – So, I hoped that you liked this, and that I'm doing a good job transforming it into a fic. Please let me know, otherwise I'll go insane!**


	3. Chapter 2: Low

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, that honour goes to the wonderfully talented Shonda Rhimes. Nor do I claim any ownership to the song 'Low,' sung by the awesome Kelly Clarkson. In my dreams, however, McDreamy is all mine! **

**A/N: OK, so I decided to turn this oneshot into a full fic, so here goes: As I haven't seen any episodes with either one of them yet, Callie and Denny don't exist for the purposes of my story. George and Meredith never slept together, Alex and Izzie are back together, oh, and Burke never got shot too. The reason I've changed this so much is because I haven't seen the episodes with these events in them, and I wouldn't want to write something that doesn't fit in with what has happened, but still continue with what has happened, if that makes ANY sense at all to you wonderful readers. BTW, Italics are thoughts and bold italics are songs. So, R&R, and enjoy, of course! P.S. please excuse any bad medical speak – I'm a law student, not a med one!**

"That guy over there looks really distracted, doesn't he?"

"Which one, the hottie in 12A? I'm gonna go serve him, see if he needs anything else…"

"Grace, leave him alone! He looks deep in thought, he probably doesn't want to be bothered by an annoying air hostess!"

"Hey, it's what we do – I can't help that!" Striding over to seat 12A, Grace attempted to get the distracted man's attention.

"Sir, would you like another refreshment?"

_Wow, Seattle Grace doesn't change. Can't believe I left Manhattan for this. Does it ever stop raining here? This place is like the American version of Venice – way too much water. Ok, so, I'd better make a list of things I gotta do, or else I'll leave something behind. 1. Grab hand luggage when getting off plane. 2. Get Luggage. 3. Take a cab to hotel, grab a paper to start house hunting. 4. Cab it to the hospital, meet with Richard. 5. Avoid---_

"Sir? Can I get you anything?" The air hostess had interrupted his train of thought. He looked confused, dazed even, as if he had forgotten where he was. "Are you ok sir?"

"Oh, sorry. No, I'm fine, thanks. I don't need anything."

"You looked pretty deep in thought. Are you sure you're ok? Anything you wanna talk about?" Grace was nothing, if not persistent.

"It's nothing, I'm kinda stressed at the moment, but I'll get over it."

"Stressed about what?" At the awkward look on the man's face, Grace attempted to put him at ease. "Oh, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, this is just me being my usual nosy parker self!"

"Like I said, it's not much. I'm just starting a new job today, and I'll be working with my ex-best-friend and his wife. They pretty much hate me. Did I mention that the wife and I had an affair?" As he turned to stare despondently out the window, Grace took this as her cue to leave, almost feeling sorry for the hottie. _Geez, he's so sexy he's almost steamy looking! Pity he's so sad._

With Grace gone, Mark was able to lose himself in his thoughts once more. _OK, so where was I? Oh, that's right, point number 5. Avoid Derek and Addison…It's gonna be a long day._

_**Everybody's talking  
But they don't say a thing  
They look at me with sad eyes  
But I don't want the sympathy  
Its cool you didn't want me  
Sometimes you can't go back  
But why'd you have to go and make a mess like that  
Well I just have to say  
Before I let go**_

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"Okay, just sign here…and here…oh and over here too. Well, that's it. Welcome to the staff of Seattle Grace." Despite being in the process of welcoming a new staff member, the Chief didn't look too pleased.

"Look Chief, I just wanted to thank you for offering me this job. I know that you don't like me, for obvious reasons, but I really appreciate this. Your phone call couldn't have come at a better time. I promise to work my hardest-"

"Damn straight you will," retorted the Chief. "And while you're at it, you'll keep any personal problems outside of the hospital. That means no brawls, no anything. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good. Now get out of my office. My secretary will show you to yours."

"Thank-you Chief." With that, he left the Chief wondering if he'd just made a huge mistake.

_**Have you ever been low?  
Have you ever had a friend that let you down so?  
When the truth came out  
Were you the last to know?  
Were you left out in the cold?  
What you did was low**_

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"Hey Debbie, would you mind getting someone to bring the patient in room 3102 some water while I arrange for her CT scan?"

"Not a problem Dr. Grey." _Hmmm, working with Bailey in Trauma is interesting, but I don't think that's where I wanna specialise. God, I need to make a decision soon! At least my shift ends in a few hours…Maybe Derek and I can do something tonight?_

"Dr Grey, we've got to stop meeting like this." At the sound of familiar, flirty voice, Meredith slowly turned around, reading her patient's chart until she faced the source of the sound. She wasn't prepared for who she saw, dropping the chart in surprise.

"Mark, sorry, Dr. Sloane, what are you doing here? I mean, not that you're not allowed to be here, or that you're not welcome, which you probably aren't anyway coz the Chief and Derek aren't exactly your biggest fans, but Addison probably is-" Meredith quickly exclaimed, bending down to pick up the chart. "And now I'm rambling. Great."

"Yes you are Dr. Grey, but it's nice to know that I have that effect on you. It's my devastatingly handsome looks isn't it?" _Geez, this guy's cocky as always! He hasn't changed a bit!_

"Huh, you wish! More like your habit of appearing at the most inappropriate times. At least this time, I know who you are. And anyway, you still haven't answered my question." As she spoke to him, she realised that he was barely concentrating on her – he had the air of someone distracted, someone who wasn't where he was supposed to be.

"I'm sorry Meredith, but I have to go. How about we continue this tonight at Joe's?" Her suspicions were confirmed when she spotted Derek approaching them from the distance. _Well, maybe I was wrong - this is a different Mark Sloane. He looks almost uncomfortable to have Derek see the two of us talking._ Waving aside Mark's unease, Meredith proceeded to turn down his invite.

"I don't think that my boyfriend would be too happy with that."

"So you finally moved on from Derek, that's fantastic," Mark managed to sound sincere in his reply, but Meredith could still sense awkwardness in the air. _What is going on here?_ She thought.

_**No I don't need your number  
There's nothing left to say  
Except I never thought it'd hurt this much to be saved  
My friends are outside waiting  
I've gotta go**_

"You know, you could just tell your boyfriend that you're just catching up with an old friend."

"What do you mean? I've met you once, how could we possibly be old friends. And shouldn't you be with Addison right now, or something?"

"Why would I be with Addison when she clearly happy with her husband?"

"Happy with her husband? But Addison isn't- Oh my god, you don't know, do you?" The truth finally hit Meredith, rendering her as shocked as she was when she first saw Mark. "God, you should be called McClueless, not McSteamy. How is it that you heard about me all the way from New York, but you didn't hear about this?"

"I didn't hear about what?" Looking genuinely confuse, Mark attempted to find out what it was that he was in the dark about. "Meredith, spit it out, what don't I know?"

It was that moment that Derek chose to walk up and greet his ex-best-friend. "Hey man, how you doing? Long time no see."

"Er, have I stepped into a parallel universe? Since when are you talking to me? The last time you saw the two of us talking, you tried to knock me out."

_**Have you ever been low?  
Have you ever had a friend that let you down so?  
When the truth came out  
Were you the last to know?  
Were you left out in the cold?  
What you did was low  
What you did was low (low)  
What you did was low (low)  
What you did was low (low)**_

"Just trying to put the past back where it belongs – in the past. Besides, I should be thanking you. I mean, in some warped way, it's thanks to you that I've got Meredith now."

"You've got Meredith? What the hell do you mean?" Mark retorted, bewilderment written all over his face. Turning to face Meredith, he said accusingly, "I thought you said you had a boyfriend?"

"Derek, I don't think he knows. I mean, he was saying something about Addison being happy with her husband before. Why would he say that if he knew?"

"If I knew what!" Mark was on the verge of explosion. "Will someone PLEASE tell me what in God's name it is that I don't know!"

"I should've told you." No one had noticed a fourth person join their little gathering.

As he turned around to face the voice he loved so much, his curiosity gave out. "Addi," Mark croaked, his voice practically giving out. "What the hell is going on?"

_**  
I walk out of this darkness  
With no sense of regret  
And I go with a clear conscience  
We both know that you can't say that  
Here's to show  
For all the time I loved you so…  
So...**_

"Well…Derek and I…we're divorced."

**_Have you ever been low?  
Have you ever had a friend that let you down so?  
When the truth came out  
Were you the last to know?  
Were you left out in the cold?  
What you did was low  
Have you ever been low?  
Have you ever had a friend that let you down so?  
When the truth came out  
Were you the last to know?  
Were you left out in the cold?  
What you did was low  
Have you ever been low?  
Have you ever had a friend that let you down so?  
Coz what you did was low_**

**A/N – So, I think I'll leave it there. I hoped that you liked this, and that I'm doing a good job. Please let me know, otherwise I'll go insane! I'm serious, just hit the little blue button in the corner and submit a review, coz at the moment I'm suffering from withdrawal. And I know that a lot of you guys are reading the fic, I've had 1049 hits and only 10 reviews. That's pitiful! So Please, do me a favour here and let me know what you think, I can handle it.**

_****_


	4. Chapter 3: When It All Falls Apart

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, that honour goes to the wonderfully talented Shonda Rhimes. Nor do I claim any ownership to the song 'When It All Falls Apart,' sung by the awesome Veronicas. In my dreams, however, McDreamy and even McSteamy are all mine! **

**Sorry that it's been so long since I reviewed, I had a huge law assignment due in today, worth 50 of my marks – yikes! Then my parents came to visit for the weekend, it was very full on. But here it is and I hope that you guys like it!**

**A/N: OK, so I decided to turn this oneshot into a full fic, so here goes: As I haven't seen any episodes with either one of them yet, Callie and Denny don't exist for the purposes of my story. George and Meredith never slept together, Alex and Izzie are back together, oh, and Burke never got shot too. The reason I've changed this so much is because I haven't seen the episodes with these events in them, and I wouldn't want to write something that doesn't fit in with what has happened, but still continue with what has happened, if that makes ANY sense at all to you wonderful readers. BTW, Italics are thoughts and bold italics are songs. So, R&R, and enjoy, of course! P.S. please excuse any bad medical speak – I'm a law student, not a med one!**

**Previously on "In Each Other's Arms…"**

"_Derek, I don't think he knows. I mean, he was saying something about Addison being happy with her husband before. Why would he say that if he knew?"_

"_If I knew what!" Mark was on the verge of explosion. "Will someone PLEASE tell me what in God's name it is that I don't know!"_

"_I should've told you." No one had noticed a fourth person join their little gathering._

_As he turned around to face the voice he loved so much, his curiosity gave out. "Addi," Mark croaked, his voice practically giving out. "What the hell is going on?"_

"_Well…Derek and I…we're divorced."_

…

"I'm sorry, I think I must be hearing things. Did you just say that you and Derek are divorced?" Mark queried. "DIVORCED! AND YOU NEVER THOUGHT THAT I DESERVED TO KNOW!"

Meredith and Derek exchanged worried glances, each knowing what the other was thinking – _There's going to be a fight, and not a quiet one._ Already, everybody was looking over at them, no one a stranger to their shared history. Simultaneously, Meredith grabbed Addison and Derek grabbed Mark, pushing them into the nearest empty room and closed the door.

"They need to work this out Derek, but I think we should still sit out here, just in case. I mean, this way we won't be intruding and they can sort it out, but we can be here if anything goes wrong."

As they sat down outside the door, Meredith leaned into Derek and he kissed her on the top of her head, marvelling at how she was so willing to help the woman that had kept them apart for so long. _I wish I had half her strength. All the more reason for me to be the bigger man and forgive Mark. God it was hard, pretending to be friendly to him today, when all I really wanted to do was rip his head off for even looking at Meredith. Oh well, If Mer can be friends with Addie, the least I can do is try with Mark. Who knows, maybe he and I will be able to get some semblance of a friendship back?_

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"Beep Beep Beep Beep"

"Beep Beep Beep Beep"

"Oh my god, make it stop NOW."

"Hey, crack-whore, it's not just my pager going off like crazy, it's yours too."

On the other side of the hospital, Christina and Alex were trying to get some sleep in the on-call room. What neither of them had counted on was their pagers going off on a seemingly quiet day at the hospital.

"What does it say, Evil Spawn? Is it a 911?"

"Uh, yeah but not the usual kind…"

"Could you be any vaguer?" Christina was not in the mood. "Well, go on, spit it out. What the hell does it say?"

"Er, it says '911 nurse's desk, McSteamy/Ex-She-Shepherd showdown.'" He replied, reading off both their pagers.

"Wait, did you say McSteamy? Don't you mean McDreamy? And what the hell are we still doing sitting here? Shouldn't we be down there watching?"

At that, the two interns sped out of the room, each trying to outdo each other to get there faster. Finally, they got there, but not before Alex tripped Christina in an effort to beat her.

"Hey guys, where have you been, I paged you almost five minutes ago," Izzie said, greeting her boyfriend with a kiss.

"Sorry, we were asleep together in the on call room." At the strange looks he was getting from Izzie, Alex set about correcting himself. "Not asleep asleep together, you know, not sleeping together, just asleep in the same room, I mean-"

"Yeah, you wish Evil Spawn. Quit while you're ahead, okay? Oh look, here's Bambi. He was even slower than we were."

"Hey, what's going on? What did I miss? I didn't miss it did I?"

"Well, If you guys had gotten here earlier, you would've heard McSteamy yelling at Addison." Izzie decided to put them all out of their misery and fill them in, because, as usual, she was the one with the juicy goss. "Apparently, he didn't know about the divorce. Can you believe it!"

"No way! How is that possible?" Christina was too speechless to make a sarcastic remark.

"I know, that's what Meredith said. She came up with a new name for him – McClueless!"

"So where are they now, and why are Shepherd and Meredith sitting outside that exam room?" George always had a bit of trouble putting two and two together, but Izzie was happy to do it for him.

"Well, once McSteamy started to go off at Addison, Derek and Meredith grabbed them and pushed them in the room and closed the door. To give them some privacy I suppose."

"But how are we supposed to watch them? I mean, we don't have x-ray eyes, as much as Evil Spawn wishes he does."

"Listen here, Crack-Whore-"

"Alex, shut up." Izzie cut him off, not wanting to draw attention to them obviously being where they weren't supposed to be. "The last thing we need is Bailey breathing down our necks and telling us off for neglecting our duties."

"Well that's too bad, coz I'm gonna do it anyway!" Hearing Bailey's voice behind them, the interns jumped with obvious guilty looks on their faces. "What the hell do you think you're doing? And why is Grey sitting over there with Shepherd looking like her dog just died? Again?"

"Well, her and Dr. Shepherd are waiting for Dr Sloane and Dr Montgomery to come out of the exam room over there. They're having an argument-"

"Bambi, shut up!" "Shut up George!" "Good going Syph boy." Hisses were coming at George from all directions.

"And you peeping toms thought you'd catch the show, did you? Well, I don't remember saying that you could do that, now scram. Get back to your patients, or whatever it was you were doing before you decided to play hooky. Now SCRAM!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Were you ever going to tell me? About the divorce, that is. Because I would've thought that I have a right to know. I mean, don't you think so?"

The fire had left Mark's eyes, however the shadow of hurt remained. He looked nothing like the cocky Mark Sloane that Addison knew, he looked insecure, upset, and wounded. Almost like a little puppy. _I did this to him_ she thought. _I've hurt him. Actually hurt him. God, I didn't think that was possible. Man, I can't let this get to me, I have to stick to my guns. God this day sucks. Why did he have to come here? I was doing just fine until he showed up._

_**I'm having the day from hell,  
It wasn't all going so well (before you came)  
And you told me you needed space,  
With a kiss on the side my face (not again)  
And not to mention (the tears I shed)  
But I should have kicked your (ass instead)  
I need intervention  
Attention to stop temptation to scream  
**_

"Look Mark, I wanted to tell you, I really did-"

"Well why didn't you? I mean, I thought we had something. I know that you were still married to Derek, but I felt a connection. I thought you felt it too, but obviously I was mistaken."

"What are you even doing here Mark?" Addison attempted to dodge the issue, but Mark refused to let her.

"Well, Addie, was I mistaken? Did you ever love me or was I just some meaningless bit on the side? A dirty ex-mistress to screw when your husband wasn't giving you any?" Whatever Mark was expecting, it certainly wasn't a slap on the face from Addison. As he sat there, reeling from the shock and the pain, Addison exploded.

"How DARE you! I loved you! God, I loved you so much that I stayed with you rather than try to find my husband-"

"Yeah, until you found out that he was screwing an intern!"

"Don't you dare bring Meredith into this, she's got nothing to do with it!"

"Oh yeah, well if she's so immune, how come she's sitting out there with your husband?"

"Ex-Husband, dammit! They're together Mark, and they're happy, which is far more than I can say for us."

"Yeah, well who's fault is that? How was I supposed to be here for you if I didn't even know that you'd gotten divorced, huh?"

"I tried to tell you, I really did."

"How so Addison? Because, I don't remember us speaking since my last visit to Seattle, and I sure as hell haven't seen you since then, unless you count in my dreams of course. Was that how you tried to tell me? Through ESP?"

"You arrogant prick! Would you just shut up and stop making things worse for once in your life? God, you are so damn annoying! No, I didn't use ESP. If you must know, I rang you a few times, but each time a girl answered. Then, when I was in New York for a consult last month, I thought I'd tell you in person. I went to your apartment, and saw you in there with some girl. I figured that you'd moved on, so I decided to let you be. I thought that the last thing you needed was your ex-best-friend's ex-wife back in the picture."

"Dammit Addie, that was my choice to make, not yours. I get to decide if I want you in my life, and right now, I'm not so sure that I do." With that, Mark stormed out, leaving Addison alone and on the verge of tears. _I've lost him. I've lost him for good now_ she thought, as she began to sob.

_**  
Cause baby  
Everything is F'ed up straight from the heart  
Tell me what do you do, when it all falls apart  
Gotta pick myself up where do I start  
Cuz I can't turn to you when it all falls apart  
No**_

**_  
_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Derek, you've gotta go after him." Meredith and Derek had leapt up when they saw Mark flee from the room. Hearing Addison's sobs, Meredith knew where she was needed, and she knew where Derek should be too. "Derek, you know him, you know what he'll be doing right now, where he'll go, what's going through his mind at the moment. And Addison needs one of us, and I think it'll be better if I stay with her. I know what it's like to have the guy you love mad at you, even when you're not technically together. Remember when you call me a whore?"

"God, don't remind me! But do you really think that I'm the best one to talk to him." Derek was hesitant. "In my heart I know that I should do it, but it's still hard to be around the guy."

"Just follow your heart then. Think of the positives – like you said, in a way, he's the reason we're together." With that, Meredith left him standing there and entered the room that held a sobbing Addison.

"Hey, come here, it's gonna be okay," he heard her say, before she closed the door to give them some privacy.

_I've gotta follow Mark_ he thought._ I've gotta try to get my ex-best-friend to come to his senses and forgive my ex-wife so they can pick up where they left off._ "God," he groaned. "Why does everything have to be so complicated.

_**  
Don't know where I parked my car  
Don't know who my real friends are (anymore)  
I put my faith in you  
What a stupid thing to do (when it rains it pours)  
And not to mention (I drank too much)  
I'm feeling hung over (and out of touch)  
I need intervention  
Attention to stop temptation to scream  
**_

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"I'll have a Double Scotch. Single Malt please."

"Make it two, Joe. On my tab."

"Hard day Shep?"

"You've got no idea." Turning to Mark, Derek handed him his drink. "So, I bet you're wondering what I'm doing here?"

"I was thinking something along those lines. I'm actually a little confused Derek, coz the last time I was here, you weren't so willing to be forgiving and forgetting what I did."

"Yeah, well things are different now man. I'm with a fantastic woman, whose taught me how to really forgive and let go of the past. Hell, if she hadn't done it, she'd be with the vet and I'd probably still be with Addison, feeling as guilty as hell."

"Guilty? Why would you be feeling guilty?"

"God, I forgot that you didn't know the whole story, about how Addison and I finally called it quits and how I ended up with Meredith. It was the other way around, really."

"Something tells me we're gonna need more Scotch. Hey Joe, can we get some more drinks? Come on Derek, enlighten me."

"Well…"

_**  
Cause baby  
Everything is F'ed up straight from the heart  
Tell me what do you do, when it all falls apart  
Gotta pick myself up where do I start  
Cuz I can't turn to you when it all falls apart  
No**_

**_  
_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Addie, don't cry, it's gonna be okay." Meredith was attempting to comfort an inconsolable Addison, but it was easier said than done.

"God Meredith, You don't understand. It was so easy for you and Derek to get back together, I don't think Mark's every going to forgive me."

"Addie, it wasn't as easy as you think. I'm gonna tell you a little story about Derek and me, coz at one point, I didn't think that I was ever going to forgive him for what he did."

"I know, I know, he didn't tell you about me, yada yada yada. I already know all of this Meredith."

"That's not the story that I was going to tell,' Meredith laughed. "It's a different story, a more recent story. Do you remember when you asked me if Derek and I were sleeping together after we found out that Doc had bone cancer? Whether we were having a lover's quarrel?"

"Yeah, I remember that. What's that got to do with anything?"

"Well, I lied to you, not about the sleeping together thing, that was true-"

"Yeah, at the time. But not for long."

"Anyway, as I was saying, Derek and I were fighting. You see, he'd called me a whore after finding me wearing only one of Finn's shirts. This was after I'd gone celibate, and I hadn't slept with Finn, but Derek didn't know that and he jumped to conclusions. We had a huge fight, and I didn't think I could ever forgive him. But then, on Prom Night, we fought again, and you know what happened afterwards. I mean, if I could forgive Derek for that, surely Mark will be able to forgive you for a little omission.

"You think he'll really forgive me? By this point Addison had stopped crying, looking hopeful at Meredith's story.

"I know so," Meredith reassured her. "And, like you said, I forgave Derek for his little omission – you. So come on, let's get out of here. I'm sure that there are patients out there who need us right now."

_**  
Can it be easier?  
Can I just change my life?  
Cause it just seems to go bad everytime  
Will I be mending?  
another one ending once again**_

**_  
_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wow, I thought my life was screwed up! So, let me get this straight – first you called Meredith a whore, then you spend all of Prom Night looking at her, then you two argue and screw in an empty exam room, only to be caught by Dr. Stevens, Meredith's Best friend. Then, you force her to make a decision between you and the vet and she walks away, only to chose you a few minutes later. And Addison let you get a divorce to be with Meredith."

"Yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it! It sounds so soap operaish when you put it like that!"_ Wow, I can't believe that I can see the funny side of this. If you'd told me a few hours ago that I'd be sitting in a bar, laughing, with Mark of all people, I'd have hauled you off to get a CT scan on your brain!_

"So, do you think Addie will ever be able to forgive me? I think I hurt her pretty bad."

"She's probably sitting with Meredith, asking her the same thing of you man."

"So, how is it that they're still friends? That all of you are still friends?"

"I dunno man, how is it that I'm sitting here talking to you as if nothing ever happened between us?"

"I suppose you're right. Did you hear Addison mention the girl answering my phone and the one that she saw at my apartment? I hadn't moved on Derek, that was my sister Monique."

"Yeah I kinda put two and two together on that one, I know how you feel about Addie."

"Do you think that she'll believe me?" Mark had never felt so insecure in his life.

"I'm not the one you should be asking. You should go and see her about this, but don't leave it too long. You'll only hurt yourself even more." Derek realised that there was still one question left unanswered. Stopping Mark from leaving, he asked "By the way, what are you doing here? I mean, here in Seattle, not here in Joe's bar."

"The Chief is expanding Plastics and he made me head. Go figure, I thought he was on your side in this whole mess." With that, Mark left to fix his mistakes, leaving Derek to contemplate the thought of having his ex-best-friend back in his life, permanently.

**_  
Everything is F'ed up straight from the heart  
Tell me what do you do, when it all falls apart  
Gotta pick myself up where do I start  
Cuz I can't turn to you when it all falls apart  
No_**

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_  
_**

Arriving at Addison's Office, Mark could see her sitting at her desk, her head resting in her hands. She looked up and saw him, blinking a few times to test her vision. He walked in the door as she stood up, and waited for her to come to him. She walked over to him, hardly believing her eyes. Sweeping her up in a huge embrace, he acted on instinct. When he started to kiss her, she didn't push him away. Leaning past him, she closed the door while they kissed, stealing them away from the prying eyes of Bailey's interns and the rest of the hospital.

_**  
Falls apart  
Gotta pick myself up 'cause things are messed up**_

**A/N – So, I think I'll leave it there. I hope that you liked this, and that I'm doing a good job. Please let me know, otherwise I'll go insane! I'm serious, just hit the little blue button in the corner and submit a review. Sorry that this is such a long chapter, but it just flowed so well for me tonight that I just couldn't stop. Oh, btw, I changed it so that it was Izzie that walked in on Mer and Der at the end of season 2, coz Callie doesn't exist in this.**


	5. Chapter 4: Honest

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, that honour goes to the wonderfully talented Shonda Rhimes. Nor do I claim any ownership to the song 'Honest,' sung by Kendell Payne. In my dreams, however, McDreamy and even McSteamy are all mine! **

**A/N: OK, so I decided to turn this oneshot into a full fic, so here goes: As I haven't seen any episodes with either one of them yet, Callie and Denny don't exist for the purposes of my story. George and Meredith never slept together, Alex and Izzie are back together, oh, and Burke never got shot too. The reason I've changed this so much is because I haven't seen the episodes with these events in them, and I wouldn't want to write something that doesn't fit in with what has happened, but still continue with what has happened, if that makes ANY sense at all to you wonderful readers. BTW, Italics are thoughts and bold italics are songs. So, R&R, and enjoy, of course! P.S. please excuse any bad medical speak – I'm a law student, not a med one!**

**Previously on "In Each Other's Arms…"**

_Arriving at Addison's Office, Mark could see her sitting at her desk, her head resting in her hands. She looked up and saw him, blinking a few times to test her vision. He walked in the door as she stood up, and waited for her to come to him. She walked over to him, hardly believing her eyes. Sweeping her up in a huge embrace, he acted on instinct. When he started to kiss her, she didn't push him away. Leaning past him, she closed the door while they kissed, stealing them away from the prying eyes of Bailey's interns and the rest of the hospital._

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_  
_**

_**Boy know your place.**_

_**Lies do not become us.**_

_**Real is more attractive than a slick and polished mask.**_

_**Girl dig down deep,**_

**_I know there's more between us._**

_**There's bound to be a question**_

**_You're just dying for me to ask._**

"OH my god, tell me that she DID NOT close the door!" Izzie was incredulous, and she wasn't the only one. "I mean, how are we supposed to know what's going on in there if we can't see in!"

"I know, this is the second time today that they've done this. Don't they know that we have needs, truly important gossipy needs that must be fulfilled?"

"Shut up Yang. We all know what they're doing in there, and to be honest with you, I wouldn't mind getting some myself…" Casting his eyes over at Izzie, Alex checked to see whether heard him.

"Alex, you've got dirty in your eyes again, and we all know what happens when you get dirty in your eyes, so you need to stop right now before I make a fool of myself with you right here, right now."

"You know I wouldn't mind that sweetie," drawled Alex, much to Christina's disgust.

"Stop, before I puke all over your clean blue scrubs, ok!"

"Guys, maybe we should just give them some privacy. It's obvious they want it."

"Trust you to say something like that Bambi." Nobody heard Meredith approaching them. Seeing her friends standing around, doing nothing, she could tell that something was going on. It had to be something more than a quiet board.

"Hey guys, what's up? What's going on?" Jumping at the sound of Meredith's voice, the other interns shushed her, lest she drew Bailey's attention towards them for doing something wrong again that day.

_**If you can be honest**_

_**I can be too.**_

_**If you'll take the first step**_

_**I'll follow you through.**_

_**But no one wants to bleed.**_

_**No one wants to hide.**_

**_No one wants to hurt alone inside._**

Deciding to tell Meredith the truth, no matter how she might feel about it, Izzie began to talk. "Well, McSteamy went into Addison's office about ten minutes ago and they started to kiss. About two seconds later, Addison shut the door, while still kissing him mind you, and closed all the blinds. We're trying to figure out what they're doing in there."

"God Izzie, how many times do we have to tell you, they're having sex, which is what you and I should be doing right now."

"Who's having sex?" Walking up behind the interns, Derek went to put his arms around Meredith, pinching her on the butt as he got closer. Dirty was obviously on his mind too.

"Alex, get rid of the dirty. We're not gonna have sex right now. Get over it." Turning to Derek, Izzie knew that he wouldn't want to hear the answer to his question, but decided to tell him anyway. She liked to watch him squirm. "Well Dr. Shepherd, in answer to your question, that would be Dr. Montgomery and Dr. Sloane having sex, as we speak, in Dr. Montgomery's office. Satisfied?"

_**Child don't close your eyes**_

_**The truth contains much beauty**_

_**And though it scars your soul**_

_**It can heal the wounds it makes**_

_**You've been deceived to think**_

_**That pain is to be dreaded,**_

_**And you've got nothing left.**_

**_It'll give more than it takes._**

"Oh, I didn't need to hear that, that was an overshare! I don't need that image in my mind. And now it's bringing back all the memories of when I caught them in Manhattan. Great." Derek was anything but enthusiastic at this. "Hey Meredith, how about we go into the on-call room and pick up where we left at prom? You know you want to…"

"Can't, you've got patients to go see. Looks like whatever you said to Mark and what I said to Addison must have made an impression on them!"

"Or, they're having hot, emotional, pent-up, angry sex like we did at prom. Like we could be having now." Smiling at her in his McDreamy manner, Derek could see that he was having an effect on Meredith. She looked ready to pull him into the nearest empty room, and probably would've done so if Alex's sniggers hadn't brought her back to her senses.

"Okay, that's enough dirty talk for now, it's time for you to go Derek." As she said this, she pushed him away, down the halls and walked back to her friends. Feeling his eyes watching her walk, she called out over her shoulder, "Stop looking at me, we know how much trouble that can lead to!"

"That's trouble I can handle," he answered as he walked away, leaving behind an embarrassed Meredith whose friends had forgotten about Mark and Addison and were now staring at her, demanding details with the looks in the eyes.

"Okay Meredith, spill. What did McDreamy mean when he said 'pick-up where we left off at prom'? Are you telling me that you two haven't slept together since." Never one to beat around the bush, Christina asked the question that everybody wanted to hear the answer to.

_**If you can't find a peace**_

_**I'll help find it for you**_

_**I don't know how,**_

_**But one thing that's sure**_

_**Is I won't leave you now.**_

"Well," Meredith began, "Derek and I have been taking it slow since we got back together. We never took it slow the first time – we were supposed to have a one night stand for crying out loud! Talk about your one night stands coming back to bite you on the ass!"

"No, I think the one night stand that came back to bite you on the ass was the guy whose penis you broke – remember him! God, and then you had to tell Shepherd about the two of you. Classic!" At the look on Meredith's face, Alex decided that it was time for him to leave. He hadn't counted on Meredith chasing him down the hallway, attempting to catch him to hit him, and they ran away from the others watching them with bemused looks on their faces.

_**If you can be honest**_

_**I can be too**_

_**If you take the first step**_

_**I'll follow you through**_

_**No one wants to bleed**_

**_No one wants to hide_**

**_  
_A/N – So, I think I'll leave it there. I hope that you liked this, and that I'm doing a good job. Please let me know, otherwise I'll go insane! I'm serious, just hit the little blue button in the corner and submit a review. This is a bit of a filler chapter, a light-hearted one, I hope you guys liked it. PLEASE REVIEW! **


	6. Chapter 5: Speechless

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, that honour goes to the wonderfully talented Shonda Rhimes. Nor do I claim any ownership to the song 'Speechless,' sung by the awesome Veronicas. In my dreams, however, McDreamy and even McSteamy are all mine! **

**A/N: OK, so I decided to turn this oneshot into a full fic, so here goes: As I haven't seen any episodes with either one of them yet, Callie and Denny don't exist for the purposes of my story. George and Meredith never slept together, Alex and Izzie are back together, oh, and Burke never got shot too. The reason I've changed this so much is because I haven't seen the episodes with these events in them, and I wouldn't want to write something that doesn't fit in with what has happened, but still continue with what has happened, if that makes ANY sense at all to you wonderful readers. BTW, Italics are thoughts and bold italics are songs. So, R&R, and enjoy, of course! P.S. please excuse any bad medical speak – I'm a law student, not a med one!**

**Previously on "In Each Other's Arms…"**

_Arriving at Addison's Office, Mark could see her sitting at her desk, her head resting in her hands. She looked up and saw him, blinking a few times to test her vision. He walked in the door as she stood up, and waited for her to come to him. She walked over to him, hardly believing her eyes. Sweeping her up in a huge embrace, he acted on instinct. When he started to kiss her, she didn't push him away. Leaning past him, she closed the door while they kissed, stealing them away from the prying eyes of Bailey's interns and the rest of the hospital._

………

"_Well," Meredith began, "Derek and I have been taking it slow since we got back together. We never took it slow the first time – we were supposed to have a one night stand for crying out loud! Talk about your one night stands coming back to bite you on the ass!"_

"_No, I think the one night stand that came back to bite you on the ass was the guy whose penis you broke – remember him! God, and then you had to tell Shepherd about the two of you. Classic!" At the look on Meredith's face, Alex decided that it was time for him to leave. He hadn't counted on Meredith chasing him down the hallway, attempting to catch him to hit him, and they ran away from the others watching them with bemused looks on their faces._

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_**

"Wait, Mark stop for a second. We should talk before we do anything." Stopping was the last thing that Addison wanted to do – she had been dreaming of this moment since Mark's last visit to Seattle, despite the fact that she had still been 'trying' with Derek at the time. Perhaps that was why she was so easily able to forgive him and Meredith for loving each other the way they did. Truth be told, she'd never stopped loving Mark, and she and Derek had just been living a lie – she'd just been too scared to end it, she wanted to stick with the safe option. _Well that worked out well,_ she thought.

Mark took no notice of her words, kissing the nape of her neck while guiding her to the couch she'd recently added to her office.

"I've gotta say Addie," Mark came up for air, "I'm damn glad that there's a couch in this office, coz that makes my job so much easier." Flashing her one of his trademark cheeky grins, Mark resumed kissing Addison, working his way down her body, removing her clothes as he went with his teeth.

"Mark, if you keep doing that," Addie gasped, "I'm not gonna be able to resist you – OOOOOOOOhhhhh" She groaned as he reached her most sensitive spot.

"That's the general idea Addie. You know you want this as much as I do. There'll be plenty of time to talk later."

_He's right,_ she thought. _Screw talking, this is soooooo much more fun. Finally, I'm back to the really good sex. It's about time._

_**Feels like I have always known you  
And I swear I dreamt about you  
All those endless nights I was alone  
It's like I've spent forever searching  
Now I know that it was worth it  
With you it feels like I am finally home**_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey Derek, have seen Alex?" While trying to find the Evil Spawn, Meredith had inadvertently run into Derek – literally. He'd grabbed her wrists to steady her, but now he wasn't letting go – still holding her close. _Ok, this could be a problem, how am I supposed to take it slow and resist him if he keeps holding me this close?_

"Forget Alex, come with me," Derek tried to convince her. "We'll make our own fun…"

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of." A visibly flustered Meredith wrenched herself from Derek's grip, and when he smiled that knowing, McDreamy grin down at her, she knew that he'd seen that he'd gotten to her. _Dammit, I'm like a lovesick, horny puppy around him. Gotta work on my poker face!_

_**Falling head over heels  
Thought I knew how it feels  
But with you it's like the first day of my life**_

"Look Derek, I've gotta find Alex so I can kick his ass for teasing me, can you help me with that or not?" Meredith's attempts to put some distance between her and Derek wasn't working – the more she backed away, the more he followed her. It was like a vicious cycle she couldn't escape.

"Karev is with a patient at the moment – Burke called him about two seconds before you bumped into me. So, why don't you come with me," he said, taking hold of her elbow and guiding her into the elevator. "I have a patient having Grand Mal Seizures that I could use a hand on. I believe you have some experience in that field – remember Katie Bryce?"

"O-okay," Meredith stuttered, suddenly very aware of the fact that they were alone in the elevator and the doors were rapidly closing, with no chance of anyone saving her from being alone with Derek. _Great. Just Perfect. We both know how bad my track record is with elevators and Derek. At this rate, I'll never be able to keep myself from jumping him!_

"Okay, Dr. Shepherd, tell me about this patient of yours."

"Dr Shepherd? What's up with that?"

"Just trying to keep it professional. So, your patient, Dr Shepherd?"

"Well, Dr. Grey," he emphasised, "she's a-" Suddenly he stopped talking as the elevator lurched to a halt. They grabbed each other to steady themselves as the lights flickered and dimmed.

"Oh no, this can't be happening, I cannot be stuck in an elevator with you, this CANNOT be happening." Meredith hadn't realised that she was speaking out aloud until she heard Derek's reply

"Dr Grey, you wound me. Am I that repulsive to you?"

Meredith took a good, long look at him. _Damn him and his stupid McDreamy look. Why does he have to take my breath away? Jackass!_ Throwing caution to the wind, she dropped the files she was holding, pressing him against the elevator wall to kiss him. _God, I'm getting the weirdest sense of de ja vu! Screw taking things slow, I give up, I surrender, _she thought, as she began to take off his scrubs.

_**Cuz you leave me speechless  
When you talk to me  
You leave me breathless  
The way you look at me  
You manage to disarm me  
My soul is shining through  
Can't help but surrender  
My everything to you**_

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"I…er…wow, that was just so…wow, I can't believe that we finally…wow, huh!"

"Good to see we've still got it, huh Addie?"

"Wow!"

"I believe you've already said that a few times."

"Were we always that good together? Because, speaking as woman who's had really crappy sex – well most of the time – since she left Manhattan, we've got a good thing going on here!"

"Yes, we do." Mark agreed, looking pensive as he lay on the couch with the woman he loved in his arms.

"Mark, what is it?" Addison had sat up, and, noticing the look on his face, decided to stop putting off the talk they so badly needed to have. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

"God Addie, of course not. You could never do anything wrong – well, except not telling me about your divorce for two months, but I'm over that. I think the unbelievable sex proved that!"

"Well, what is it then? Is it the girl that answered your phone and was in your apartment when I came to New York? Is she your girlfriend? Did you move on? Coz, I wouldn't blame you if you did, I mean, I was with Derek even though his heart was with Meredith and-"

"Addie stop, you're rambling. I thought that was Meredith's thing – excessive rambling."

"I guess I've been spending too much time with her," Addison laughed.

"How is it that you're still able to be friends with her after what her and Derek did to you? How can you be friends with either of them, for that matter?"

"So, dodging my question are you?"

"No, I'm not dodging, but if you answer mine, I'll answer yours. Okay?"

"Seems like a fair trade." She mused. "I'm assuming you already know what happened on Prom Night?"

"Yeah, Derek filled me in when we were at Joe's earlier on tonight, after our fight when you were with Meredith."

"Well, after that, it was a bit tense between all of us for a little while. Derek and I filed for divorce, and Meredith walked around with a guilty look on her face all the time, avoiding me like the plague. Then, one day, I requested her to be my intern, relieving Karev from the 'vagina squad' as he called it. I wanted to put an end to it, I wanted her to know that I didn't blame her for what happened between me and Derek. It's not their fault that they fell in love, you can't help that anymore than you can help being struck by lightening. I can't condone the fact that they had sex, coz Derek was basically cheating on me then, nor do I like the fact that he begged her to take him back before he had even told me what had happened, but the way I look at it, that was karma coming back to bite me on the ass for what we did. Meredith and I had a really long talk, and we got everything out in the open. She told me that I could do my worst, say whatever I wanted, and she wouldn't hold it against me because she deserved it. I think I shocked her with my stance, and my karma belief, but there you have it. It's taken a while to get over the uncomfortable stage, despite my reassurances, but we're pretty good friends now. In fact, they've invited me around for dinner at Meredith's place tomorrow night. Should be interesting." Not one to be deterred, Addison refused to let Mark off the hook. "So, time for the answer to my question now – who's the girl?"

"Well, it was my sister. I know that that sounds unbelievably clichéd and all, but it's true – Derek can vouch for me on this one, as odd as that may sound. She'd come to look after me for a while, coz I wasn't doing such a great job of it myself. As impossible as it may be to believe that this could happen to someone as confident and fantastic as me, I was kinda depressed and withdrawn, not going to work and pretty much just throwing my life down the crapper. But she helped me get back on my feet, and encouraged me to take Richard's job offer despite the complications that may arise. She taught me to fight for what I want, and to just go for it."

"I'm sorry, did you say 'Richard's job offer?'" Addison was in disbelief. "Richard, as in Richard Webber, Chief of Surgery here at Seattle Grace, that Richard?"

"The one and the same."

"Well, what job did he offer you? Is it a temporary one, or something more permanent?"

"I'd say something a little more permanent – you're looking at Seattle Grace's head of the newly expanded Plastics unit. What do you think?"

"What do I think? OMG I think that's fantastic! That's great, you'll be here all the time, we can finally be together!" Realising she was getting ahead of herself, and feeling insecure all of a sudden, Addison made to correct herself. "I mean, if you want to that is…"

"Well, I didn't take this job to be closer to Derek, Addie – although we seem to be getting along now, it's crazy! I took it so that I could be near you, even if I couldn't be with you. I guess it's kinda like a fantastic bonus now that you're divorced.

As he leaned in to kiss her, Addison realised how much he truly loved her. _He was willing to be here even though he thought he couldn't be with me. He was willing to watch me go through the motions with Derek if it made me truly happy, even though it would've made him miserable. _As she kissed him back with a fervour, she realised that she couldn't resist him. He made her so happy, he made her feel alive again.

_**I thought I could resist you  
I thought that I was strong  
Somehow you were different from what I've known  
I didn't see you coming  
You took me by surprise and  
You stole my heart before I could say no**_

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"Well Dr. Shepherd, so much for taking things slow," Meredith remarked as they were getting dressed. They had been stuck in the elevator for over half an hour, and had well and truly put an end to their self-avowed celibacy.

"I thought it was fun. It was about time we did it; it was amazing that we lasted two months together without sex!" He moved closer to Meredith, caressing her face as he leaned down to kiss her. "By the way," he said as he paused, "stop calling me Dr. Shepherd, it turns me on," he whispered in her ear, firmly planting his lips on hers as she gave an involuntary shudder. "You know what, forget I said that, I like it when you turn me on!"

_**Falling head over heels  
Thought I knew how it feels  
But with you it's like the first day of my life**_

_Oh God, here we go again,_ Meredith thought. _I am so weak, but I love being with him so much. OMG, what was that?_

Breaking away from Derek, Meredith realised that they were moving again. As the doors opened, she made to fix her rumpled scrubs and her mussed hair, urging Derek in her head to do the same. _This must look so bad,_ she thought as she walked out of the elevator.

"We'll talk about this later Dr. Grey. Don't think you can escape me that easily." With that, Derek went in the opposite direction to Meredith, giving her a chance to collect her thoughts.

"So, I guess the whole 'taking it slow' thing is over, huh?" Queried Christina as she caught up with Meredith. "How long were the two of you in there anyway?"

"Long enough. Too long."

"What are you so afraid of? Why are you so afraid of being with him properly again?"

"I'm not, I'm fine."

"Meredith, you say 'fine' that much that it doesn't even sound like a word anymore. What's the matter with you?" Christina could sense Meredith's reluctance to talk, but she pressed on anyway. _It's what she would do to me!_

"I guess I'm just scared that if we take it as fast as we did last time, something else is just gonna come and bite me on the ass and ruin my happiness. Like another long-lost wife or girlfriend or kid. I know that's not possible coz he was upfront with me this time, but I guess I'm still scared."

"Have you told him that?"

"What, that I love him so much, but I afraid of being hurt again? Not really."

As they walked away, Christina put her arm around Meredith. Meredith was touched by the gesture, knowing that Christina is not a touchy-feely type.

"Don't forget Mer, I'm your person if you need me, but I still think you should talk to Shepherd."

"I will. Soon." _Once I figure out how to talk to him without screwing him first!_

_**You leave me speechless  
When you talk to me  
You leave me breathless  
The way you look at me  
You manage to disarm me  
My soul is shining through  
I can't help but surrender  
Oh no  
My everything to you**_

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"Meredith, Meredith wait up!" Hearing a familiar voice shout out her name, Meredith stopped and turned around to see who wanted to talk to her so urgently when she was leaving the hospital. Her shift had finally ended after a harrowing forty-eight hours.

"Addison, what's wrong? Do you need an intern?" Her heart sank as she asked this question, praying to God that she could just go home and sleep.

"No nothing like that, I just wanted to thank you for the advice you gave me on how to handle the Mark situation." Meredith's heart soared at this, glad she didn't have to stay much longer.

"I'm glad you two worked things out," Meredith replied, opting out of feigning ignorance on the situation as it stood. Too much had come between them for that. "I heard that you two had a moment in your office."

"And I heard that you and Derek had a 'moment' in the elevator today when it broke down!" Addison laughed.

"Oh, you heard about that?" Meredith was crimson. "And it didn't freak you out or anything?"

"No, it didn't. I guess I truly am over Derek," Addison mused. "It just wasn't meant to be. The two of you on the other hand…"

"A bit like you and Mark."

"I don't know about that either. Don't get me wrong, I really hope so, in fact I'm sure that it's probably the case, but we've never had a real relationship. We stayed together for a few weeks before I came out here, which Derek knows about by the way, but I was still married then. Now, we're both free to be together. It's kinda surreal."

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. That's pretty much how I feel with Derek." About to walk away, Meredith thought for a moment, before turning back to Addison.

"Addie, are you still coming to dinner tomorrow night?" she questioned.

"If I'm still invited," Addison laughed.

"Of course you are, I was just going to say that you should bring Mark. He's a part of your life now, and he's not going anywhere. This way, he can meet everyone else, get up to speed with everything, you know, make a few friends, yada yada yada."

"I would love that. Count us in. Thanks Meredith, I really appreciate this."

"Addison, it's the least I can do. You've been so kind to me since everything happened, and I just want to repay the favour. I know that I don't deserve you're kindness, but I'm truly grateful for it."

"Meredith, it's nothing. So long as Derek is okay with it…"

"Derek won't be a problem, I'll make sure of that!" Meredith chuckled."

"I'll let you be on your way then. See you tomorrow night Meredith."

"Bye Addison."

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"Derek, man wait a second!" Derek turned around as he was walking out of the hospital to see Mark running towards him. "You leaving already?"

"It's the end of my shift, I'm about to meet Meredith outside so we can go to her place. I'm so tired, all I want to do is sleep."

"Well, sex in an elevator will do that to you," Mark cheekily remarked.

"So can sex in an office," Derek retorted back. "Did you call me back for a reason Mark?"

"Yeah I did. I just wanted to thank you for your advice concerning Addison, we've talked and gotten through most of our issues. That's thanks to you man, coz I don't know how receptive I would've been to talking with her before you came and advised me. You always did know how to convince me into doing things."

"Hey, I didn't convince you into doing anything, I just offered some advice to guide you a little."

"Well it meant a lot to me, considering the fact that you don't owe me any favours."

"Yeah, well…" Derek looked uncomfortable. "Anyway," he said, brushing the issue aside, preferring not to think about it. "I assume Addison's told you about dinner at Meredith's tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, she mentioned that she was invited."

"You should come too, you're a part of Addison's life now so you'd be more than welcome."

"I'd like that Derek, if it's okay with Meredith. I wouldn't want to be intruding or anything."

"Nonsense, it'll be fine. Plus you'll get to meet everyone else – Bailey and her husband, Burke, Christina, Izzie, Alex, George, and whoever George brings. We can get you up to speed on all the sordid hospital gossip."

"You mean there's sordid hospital gossip that doesn't revolve around you and Meredith? I'm shocked Shep!" Mark mocked.

"Watch it Mark, I can still flatten you like I did a few months ago."

"Well, I'm not in the mood to suture my own face again, so I'm gonna go now. Enjoy your night, and I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Bye Mark." Both men turned to go their separate ways, marvelling at how easily their former repertoire was returning to them.

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Sitting in the car on the way home, Meredith was trying to come up with the best way of telling Derek that she'd invited Mark to join them at dinner the next night. What she wasn't expecting was for Derek to beat her to it.

"So Meredith, I hope you don't mind, but I've invited Mark to join us tomorrow night. You know, as Addison's guest. It doesn't seem fair to make her come on her own, and this way he can meet everyone else properly too."

"Wow, you took the words right out of my mouth. I invited him too, through Addison. Pretty much for the exact same reasons. Huh, and here I was thinking that I was going to have to use all my feminine wiles to convince you to let him come. Oh well…"

"You know, you don't need an excuse to pick up where we left off in the elevator. We could stop the car now if you want!" Derek countered cheekily.

"Let's just wait til we get home," Meredith laughed, thinking to herself how much Derek had surprised her lately with his extension of friendship to Mark.

**_You leave me speechless  
(the way you smile, the way you touch my face)  
You leave me breathless  
(it's something that you do I can't explain)  
I run a million miles just to hear you say my name  
Baby_**

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Addison sat in her office, going over her post-op notes and planning her surgeries for the coming days. _It's been such a long day,_ she thought. _But definitely a good one despite its poor beginnings! I wonder what Mark's up to?_

"Hey you." The object of her thoughts was standing in her doorway, looking lovingly into her eyes. "You ready to go yet?"

"Yeah, I can finish this tomorrow. Where are you staying Mark?"

"Well, I was hoping that I could spend tonight with you, you know, really celebrate our reunion," he insinuated. "Oh, by the way, something rather strange happened tonight. Derek invited me to dinner with you tomorrow night at Meredith's. How funny is that?"

"Huh, that is strange. I guess he didn't know that Meredith told me to bring you. Which is good, coz it means that they're both okay with it, and there won't be any hassles to spoil the dinner. And you'll get to meet everybody, learn all sordid histories, etc!"

"My god, that's what Shep said. How much sordid history can this place hold!" Mark was incredulous, having not taken Derek seriously before.

"You'd be surprised Mark," Addison replied while shrugging on her coat. "So, we're picking up where we left off at my place? Sounds like fun to me!" He wrapped his arm around her as they walked out of her office together, both amazed at how everything had come together, and for the better.

_**You leave me speechless  
You leave me breathless  
The way you look at me  
You manage to disarm me  
My soul is shining through  
I can't help but surrender  
My everything to you**_

**_  
_A/N – So, I think I'll leave it there. It's rather long, but it just flowed. I hope this pleases those reviewers asking for longer chapters! I hope that you liked this, and that I'm doing a good job. Please let me know, otherwise I'll go insane! I'm serious, just hit the little blue button in the corner and submit a review. I hope that the characters seem realistic. This one was rather Meredith/Derek/Addison/Mark heavy, but there will be others in the next chapter. I'm also thinking of introducing Callie for George in the next chapter too. PLEASE REVIEW! **


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